Arkansas Now Debt-Free for Boll Weevil Eradication

Arkansas Now Debt-Free for Boll Weevil Eradication

According to media sources, the state of Arkansas is not only boll weevil-free, but is now also debt-free when it comes to its eradication efforts.

The Arkansas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation (ABWEF) has made its final payment on all debt incurred by Arkansas boll weevil eradication efforts, since it began operations in 1997. The remaining balance of approximately $2 million dollars owed to USDA’s Farm Service Agency was made three years ahead of the scheduled maturity date.

Advertisement

ABWEF is an Arkansas nonprofit corporation designated by the Arkansas State Plant Board to operate the state’s boll weevil eradication program. Eradication operations began in 1997 in southwest Arkansas counties, and expanded each year to include all cotton producing areas of the state. The boll weevil was completely eradicated from Arkansas in 2006, and the ABWEF began to downsize and make advance payments on the debt incurred with FSA.